Negative Effects of Television on Kids

Some of the many disadvantages of television for children are:

Steals Time

Children who spend too much time in front of the television may miss out on life’s opportunities. If your child is spending too much time watching TV, he may lose precious time which could have been spent on more productive tasks like mingling with friends, working on homework, playing outside and other similar activities.

Lack of Language and Social Skills

This might seem contradictory to the positive effects of TV mentioned earlier, but it applies mainly to children under the age of two years. Babies’ brains are in the developmental stages before the age of two. This is when the brain rewires and fosters social and emotional learning. The TV does not smile, speak, or interact with your child psychologically on a personal level. This affects the child’s mental state since he is vulnerable at this point in life. Even in later years, spending too much time watching TV can limit your child’s social interaction, thus affecting language and social skills in the long run.

Kills Creativity and Imagination

If your child spends too much time on TV instead of going outside and exploring the real world, he will not be able to develop a strong imagination. Since ideas are presented in front of the screen, children who watch TV excessively cannot stimulate their minds or come up with fresh ideas on their own, thus passively consuming and not actively creating.

Lack of Focus

Kids who spend more than 2 to 3 hours in front of the screen on a daily basis often suffer from a lack of focus in classroom environments. Such kids may also have a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder). This lack of focus and low attention span bleeds into other domains besides academics, such as sports. The child may be unwilling to participate in creative and mentally calming activities like crafts as well.

Unproductive

Productivity is all about reaching new heights in life. If your child is constantly watching TV and not achieving milestones in their academic, social, or emotional lives, all that time spent in front of the screen is simply time wasted.

Obesity

Kids who watch too much TV are at the risk of developing obesity and other health disorders. It’s not uncommon to find young kids transitioning into teenage couch potatoes during their high school when they watch TV excessively.

Heart and Eye Health Risks

Kids who watch too much TV are at the risk of developing lazy eye syndrome. In this condition, the child experiences blurry or reduced vision that is not correctable by glasses or lenses. TV addiction also promotes a lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle, both of which impact the heart and the brain. This can eventually lead to cardiovascular problems and narrow arteries.

Negative Behaviour

According to research, watching too much TV can alter the brain structure and promote negative behaviour – especially violence and aggression. Kids who watch shows containing content inappropriate for minors are at a higher risk of this problem.

Affects Self-Image

TV shows exaggerate reality and provide a distorted view of the world. Shows that reveal picture-perfect lives and too-good-to-be-true scenarios may make kids feel inadequate.

Emotional Changes

Kids who are exposed to shows highlighting sex, drugs, and alcohol abuse are vulnerable to emotional changes. Since they are too young to understand many of these issues, they may get an altered view of reality and be influenced psychologically.

Poor Academic Performance

Spending a lot of time watching TV may result in a lack of participation in other activities. Kids sometimes skip school and homework because of TV, and this adversely affects their academic performance.

Causes Learning Problems

Learning problems due to excess TV time range from passive listening and underdeveloped listening skills to a lack of fine motor and creative skills. This occurs when kids do not engage in physically and mentally stimulating activities. Kids who develop ADHD by watching too much TV lack the ability to concentrate and focus during studies.